Programmers facing a 35-year-old crisis? Netizen: I am 70 and still writing programs

When the "35-year-old crisis" became a curse on programmers and other Internet practitioners, the anxiety lingered. Not only domestically, but also abroad. Recently, a reddit hot post sent out a soul question:

What happens when programmers get old? For programmers around 45-50 years old, do you have any stories and suggestions to share? How to plan your future career?

In this post, we have seen the self-reports of many "older" programmers.

I started programming in 1964 when I was 14 years old, and I am still writing code when I am 70 years old. There is no problem at all at work, even I am more strict with my work.

Many programmers have given keywords to maintain a long-term career.

Don't be afraid to change

Netizen dhjdhj is in his 60s and is the core developer of a successful software product. He believes that "not afraid of change" is the key to maintaining a long-term career.

He recounted his experience when he was young:

Many years ago, when I was in my 30s, I was working in an important research institution where there were many famous older scientists and mathematicians. For a while, some people in the team were asked to solve some shorter-term problems, and most of them were unable to adapt to the changing situation and were eventually dismissed.

How can I prevent this from happening to myself? dhjdhj has taken two measures, which continue to this day:

First, often replace the tool , including basic tools such as editors, to ensure that you are not rigid and not excessively bound to any tool.

Second, understand the latest development trend , evaluate its potential importance, and learn what you think is valuable.

Learn new technologies and stay humble

Gilbetron, 50, said: Too many people complain that some new libraries/languages/techniques are just rediscoveries of old technologies, and people don’t know how to use excellent old technologies. However, does not need judge technology, the quality of technology should be judged by the industry, we just need to keep learning. We don’t have to be the first to use a technology, but we must not be the one who disappears because we refuse to use the new technology.

The most difficult part of becoming a senior programmer is to remain humble (feel stupid). After all, programmers with more than 30 years of experience may have to ask young graduates about new technologies.

Continuous self-education to keep up with technological development

Just past its 62nd birthday, Kintotal has done many jobs: mainframe operators, programmers, analysts, network and systems engineers, architects, and management.

He believes that the lies in keeping up with fast-changing technologies in a business context, which requires self-education. He has obtained 3 degrees and is still teaching on online learning websites such as Coursera, Udemy, O'Reilly, etc.

He plans to retire at 66 and continue to work in programming or consulting at the age of 70. He believes that the desire to learn will enable older people to be highly productive even at the age of 60.

Kintotal said: 45-50 years old is still very young. Please make sure to invest in self-education so that you don't have to be afraid even if you are older.

After reading these examples, are you still afraid of the "35-year-old crisis" now?

Reference link: https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/nytzaz/what_happens_to_a_programmers_career_as_he_gets/